SB Nation User Blog: Joey C.

Mariners send away Putz, Green in Zduriencik's first trade as GM

Joey C. — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 18:23:37 -0000

Yeah, I know, it's an A's blog. But, hey, Seattle's in the division, right? And this deal surprised the heck out of me considering Putz was one of their only marquee players and Sean Green was (in my understanding) a highly-touted up-and-comer. They also send off Jeremy Reed and 2B Luis Valbuena, so... yeah.

Anyway, the Mariners get back Aaron Heilman, Endy Chavez, Jason Vargas, and 3 minor leaguers from the Mets. Keith Law tells me those prospects are OF Ezequiel Carrera, 1B Mike Carp, and RHP Maikel Cleto. Along with that, the M's get OF Franklin Gutierrez from the Indians.

Meanwhile, the Mets pick up 2 good bullpen arms in Putz and Green to compliment new closer F-Rod. The Indians snag RP Joe Smith from the Mets and Valbuena from the M's.

I'm no prospect expert, but it really seems like the Mets gave up nothing to acquire 2 very good relief pitchers. Someone who is a prospect expert (not named Keith Law): tell me how to feel about this one.

From a couple of years ago, but there's nothing not awesome about the expression on...

Joey C. — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 20:22:55 -0000

From a couple of years ago, but there's nothing not awesome about the expression on Crosby's face.

MLB 2K8 A's Roster

Joey C. — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 22:32:13 -0000

I'm relieved that Blez brought this up already. I was afraid of the stigma if I was the first to write about baseball video games. I'm a nerd to the point that I actually get slightly more enjoyment out of updating rosters than playing the game itself. To that end, if anyone else on here has the same malady as me, enjoy the following.

For the guys whose name has to be changed, I'll put the fake name you'll find them under in quotations and their real name next to it in parenthesis.

Free Agents

Kirk Saarloos
Mike Sweeney
"Kerry Fuller" (Keith Foulke)
Matthew LaCroy

(And if anybody's interested, "Randy Carter" is Roger Clemens, "Joe Young" is Barry Bonds)

AAA Roster

Position Players (Alphabetically)
3B - "Will Belkin" (Wes Bankston)
C - "Joseph Bishop" (Jeremy Brown... cutting him hurt a little...)
LF - Hiram Bocachica
C - "J.T. Crosby" (J.D. Closser... had no problem cutting him)
SS - J.J. Furmaniak
CF - "Chris Gossard" (Carlos Gonzalez)
CF - "Jared Hanson" (Javier Herrera)
2B - Kevin Melillo
SS - "Chris Parker" (Cliff Pennington)
LF - Danny Putnam
3B - "Virgil Spillane"
1B - Jake Striker

Pitchers
MR - Jerry Blevins
SP - Dallas Braden
MR - Andrew Brown
MR - Troy Cate
CL - "Sean Dean"
SP - Dana Eveland
SP - "Gene Gross" (Gio Gonzalez)
LR - "Bobby Holt" (Brad Halsey)
SP - Shane Komine
MR - Jay Marshall
SP - Dan Meyer
SU - "Lenny Rosa"
LR - "Jerry Wolf" (Jason Windsor)

AA Roster

Position Players
RF - "Noel Bradley"
RF - "Luke Cunnane" (Luke Cobb)
1B - "Gavin Dirk"
1B - "Nick Eleen"
3B - "Wayne Kensing"
2B - "Marion Kerr"
C - "Jared Meekins"
C - "Juan Ramirez"
LF - "Ray Robertson" (Richie Robnett)
C - "Marcus Slate"
3B - "Bruce Snelling"
LF - "Boyd Spooner"

Pitchers
LR - "Jim Bradley
MR - "Harry Cartwright"
MR - "Fergie DeJesus" (Fautino De los Santos)
MR - "Juan Guzman"
SP - "Frankie Heredia"
LR - "Seth Kaneko"
SP - "Jerry Larson"
SP - "Mario Mason"
SP - "Marty Morris" (Mike Mitchell)
CL - "George Small" (Greg Smith)
SP - "Darrin Stanley"
MR - "Marty Wendell"
SU - "Blake Zerbib" (Brad "Ziggy" Ziegler)

A Roster

Position Players
LF - "Jeremy Buchanan"
SS - "Einar Cedeno"
CF - "Alex Clayton"
RF - "Kenny Crosbie"
1B - "Tim Estes"
CF - "Tracy Jackson"
3B - "Monte Long" (Myron Leslie)
RF - "Mitter Mathis"
2B - "Aaron Penn"
C - "Lamar Pollard" (Landon Powell)
1B - "Harvey Pride"
LF - "Juan Pridie"
C - "Alvin Rude" (Anthony Recker)

Pitchers
SP - "Brian Alson" (Brett Anderson)
SP - "Adam Brinkman"
CL - "Brett Denney"
SP - "Seth Dorie"
LR - "Kelson Hootman"
SP - "Luke Luzietti"
SU - "Jay Read" (Jason Ray)
SP - "Bill Sanders"
MR - "Justin Shelby"
MR - "Nelson Solis"
MR - "Ronny Woodward" (Ryan Webb)

Well, that's what I have so far. I encourage anyone who knows their stuff about minor leaguers to go ahead and make suggestions about the names I couldn't figure out.

Piazza deal might be imminent

Joey C. — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 01:47:27 -0000

Buster Olney reports that Mike Piazza has cleared waivers and a deal might be in the works.

Olney link

Interestingly, he also mentions that Tejada was claimed by the White Sox off the wire, but a deal couldn't be worked out. So I guess he's an Oriole for the foreseeable future, which sucks for him.

Anyway, this looks mildly exciting.

Moneyball: Win games, lose respect

Joey C. — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 05:26:10 -0000

3 games into the season, and the media wants me to believe that the Mariners are something special.

All spring long, talking heads have been telling me how Mike Piazza is not going to replace Frank Thomas' production (ignoring that the team's offense as a whole was down last year due various injuries), that the rotation is shaky (we've been giving way too many starts to multiple future #6 pitchers for the last few years, why should this year be any different?), and that Oakland is, at best, a second-place finisher (where have I heard that before?).

But, oh, all that changed on Opening Day. Felix, a.k.a. "King," a.k.a. "The Ace," a.k.a. "The Hype That Hasn't Really Delivered" Hernandez fans 12, with the help of an umpire whose strike zone was extended to an extra foot on either side and an A's offense that hasn't really been dangerous since Jermaine Dye put the whammy on himself in the batter's box.

3 games into the season, and the media wants me to believe that the Mariners are something special.

No, on that day, the common refrain was "Felix Hernandez K's 12 against the DEFENDING AL WEST CHAMPS;" "Overmatched DEFENDING AL WEST CHAMPS look helpless against slightly less fat 20-year-old phenom."

To boot, the A's/Mariners matchup was the lead story of Baseball Tonight that evening. Of course, Rich Harden could throw a perfect game and Eric Chavez could set a new single-game record with 17 home runs in 5 at-bats, but I'd still have to wait until the final 10 minutes of the broadcast to hear anything about it.

I get it. Small market. Low payroll. Few, if any, stars. But it's wearing thin. The only respect the A's get is framed in terms of someone else's achievement.

Matsuzaka to the BoSox-- the BoSox's way

Joey C. — Thu, 14 Dec 2006 05:27:21 -0000

I know, I know, this isn't a Boston Red Sox blog. And trust me, I'm no AL East fan, let alone a Red Sox fan. But the Matsuzaka signing was important to me, and for one reason and one reason only: Scott Boras got served.

Boras is the number 1 reason to not like free agency. Any shot your team might have to land a big player on the market because he might be sentimental about the area, might want to be close to his family, etc., goes right out the window when he makes Boras his agent. Same goes for top draft picks. When Scott Boras is on the case, all he cares about is money, and lots of it. Boras spent the last month talking endlessly about how Matsuzaka should be given Roy Oswalt money, how Matsuzaka is one of the top 3 pitchers in baseball, how Matsuzaka is going to create a perpetual motion machine and provide energy for the entire western hemisphere. Well, the Red Sox never blinked. They gave Matsuzaka exactly what they thought he deserved: 6 years, $52 million. Now that he's lost a little face, I hope other teams will treat Boras this way when he makes outrageous contract demands.

And while this may not affect A's fans directly (although it may a little, since he's Zito's agent), I really just wanted to say this:

Eat it, Boras. Eat it raw.

If We Sign Bonds; or, Hypothetical Rage

Joey C. — Fri, 17 Nov 2006 00:36:11 -0000

So now that Big Frank is (more or less) goneski to the land of logging, snow, and the Quebecois, there is talk that Barry Bonds could fill the obligatory "possibly washed up slugger" role. And if the A's sign him, I quit.

If my favorite team, the team I've followed since I was a small lad in Santa Rosa, California, the team I've kept highest in my affections even as a college student Moscow, Idaho, signs a disgusting, self-absorbed, steroid-grubbing excuse for a ballplayer like Bonds, I'm going to put a moratorium on my fanhood; a moratorium that will last until he leaves the clubhouse that sheltered my childhood heroes.

I'll still root for individual players on the team-- I'll cheer every time I see Chavvy on Web Gems, I'll flush with pride when Bobby Crosby hits .270 with 18 bombs (bold prediction!), and I'll smile when I see Joe Blanton on SportsCenter carving up opposing hitters with his lethal fastball-changeup-yellow hammer combination. But I'll refuse to watch even 1 game. I'll abstain from wearing any of my extensive collection of A's gear. And if the boys went all the way to the World Series, I'd be happy for 'em, but I wouldn't celebrate.

I always felt comfortable that we'd never even have to think about Bonds playing for us because his inflated ego would always insist he was owed a bloated contract, despite declining performance. Clearly, that's not a certainty.

Please, Billy. Please don't let Bonds break that record in an A's uniform. Haven't we suffered enough this off-season?

Sheffield to the A's?

Joey C. — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 18:51:50 -0000

No, this isn't some fanboy fantasy diary. It is just a rumor mill, but it's an interesting one-- ESPN.com's Insider had this to say about Sheff's prospects:

Sheff won't go quietly
Nov 9 - The Yankees are looking to unload Gary Sheffield after picking up his $13 million option, and he's not happy about it. "I did nothing but produce for the Yankees my first two seasons in New York, but now it looks like I'm gone," Sheffield told The New York Times. "You can call it business, you can call it personal. I say it's both."

According to The New York Post, two different major-league officials believe Sheffield will end up with the Cubs or A's.

The New York Daily News reported that seven teams have inquired about Sheffield -- the Tigers, Astros, Indians, Rangers, Padres, Orioles and Cubs.

I know, I know, it's like The Princess Bride: inconceivable! I suppose if the Yanks picked up a large part of Sheffield's salary and the A's tossed up Dan Johnson (or whoever) and a bunch of prospects, it would be possible. I ain't holding my breath, though. Although I think a power corner outfielder is really the last piece the A's need to be a league champion, I don't see Billy mortgaging our future for Gary Sheffield.

It's fun to dream, though, isn't it?

The Irrational Hatred of Eric Chavez; NL Edition

Joey C. — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 23:01:10 -0000

So here's a look at the National League 3rd Basemen versus Eric Chavez. I laid out my parameters and explanations in the AL edition, so I'll just jump in. I would like to say that I am aware that the NL has some serious offensive differences, but I'll address that where necessary.

Chavez (Oak): .271 AVG; 29 HR's; 99 RBI; .839 OPS; +7 Defense; $9,500,000

National League

Chipper Jones (Atl): .304 AVG; 33 HR's; 110 RBI; .944 OPS; -9 Defense; $13,666,667
*Larry, here, is a future Hall of Famer, and one of the best switch-hitters ever. I won't even mention his 2005 defense, even though he has consistently ranked below league average (-11 in 2003, -6 in 2004). He's 34 and pricey. Next.

Miguel Cabrera (Fla): .311 AVG; 20 HR's; 116 RBI; .919 OPS; +1 Defense in 27 games at 3rd in 2005; $427,000
*Cabrera is a bona fide star already at 23. The kid produces, and would be a welcome trade opportunity, if the Marlins put him up on their periodic fire sale trading block. Do I see it happening? Not bloody likely. But it is the Marlins. So far, the only player with the possibility of being moved that is the possible better alternative to Chavez.

David Wright (NY): .306 AVG; 28 HR's; 109 RBI; .902 OPS; 0 Defense; $374,000 (2006 salary)
*23. Huge numbers. League average defense. Media star. Long-term contract with the Mets. But it's nice to dream, isn't it?

Abraham Nunez (Phi): .243 AVG; 3 HR; 35 RBI; .631 OPS; +4 Defense; Salary unavailable

Ryan Zimmerman (Wash): .296 AVG; 19 HR; 106 RBI; .836 OPS; +3 Defense; $327,000
*Not the same producer that Wright is, but definitely a star in the making at age 22. I'm not sure where the Nationals stand in terms of actually wanting their team to win in the near future, but if it's something they're interested in, they'll give Zimmerman the cash to stay. Not really in the realm of possibilities for the A's.

Aramis Ramirez (Chi): .279 AVG; 30 HR's; 104 RBI; .825 OPS; -14 Defense; $11,000,000
*Over the course of the average 162 game season, the offense is fairly comparable, and the defense is atrociously disparate. And this is a guy that people salivate over. Throw in the salary difference? Edge Chavez.

Reds' 3rd Basemen: Similar to the Angels' situation. When Rich Aurilia gets that much playing time, there's something wrong the youth movement.

Morgan Ensberg (Hou): .270 AVG; 27 HR's; 84 RBI; .858 OPS; +8 Defense; $3,800,000
*Comparable numbers, big difference in salary. The deal breaker? Ensberg is 31. Chavez is 28. Stick with the kid.

Brewers' 3rd Basemen: David Bell, Jeff Cirillo, Tony Graffanino, Corey Koskie. Average age? 34.5 years old. `Nuff said.

Pirates' 3rd Basemen: Joe Randa is likely the best of the bunch, and he's 34. Freddy Sanchez has decent numbers for a middle infielder, but not for a guy at either corner spot.

Scott Rolen (StL): .285 AVG; 29 HR's; 111 RBI; .890 OPS; +6 Defense (injury-shortened year in 2005); $12,456,336
*One of the best in the bigs. And he gets paid, son. At 31, he's probably got at least a couple left in him, despite injury problems. Not an option for the A's, but I'd say he's the closest thing we've seen to the complete player that Chavez is. The fact that Chavvy's in the same conversation as Rolen should come as great comfort to fans.

Diamondbacks' 3rd Basemen: Can someone tell me who played 3rd for these guys? The fact that I don't know suggests to me that it's no one really making a name for himself.

Garret Atkins (Col): .302 AVG; 21 HR's; 107 RBI; .852 OPS; -12 Defense; $335,000
*Dude plays in Coors. Humidor be damned, that pads the stats.

Wilson Betemit (LA): .271 AVG; 12 HR's; 43 RBI; .765 OPS; -6 Defense; $345,000
*Worse offense. Worse defense. Big hype because he was a Braves prospect (Dan Meyer, anyone?). I wouldn't even be talking about this guy if he didn't hit 18 bombs this year.

Padres' 3rd Basemen: Mark Bellhorn and Geoff Blum. Next.

Pedro Feliz (SF): .252 AVG; 20 HR's; 77 RBI; .724 OPS; +2 Defense in 66 games at 3rd in 2005; $4,000,000

The conclusion? That there are some excellent 3rd Basemen in the NL. And some really forgettable ones. Overall, Rolen, Wright, Cabrera, Ensberg, Zimmerman, Ramirez, and Jones are all guys that could be game-changers. But various factors eliminate them from desirable alternatives to my friend and yours, Eric Chavez: age (Jones, Ensberg, Rolen), defense (Jones again, Ramirez, Wright, Cabrera), and affordability (Rolen again, Jones again, Ramirez again, Wright again, Zimmerman in the near future) show that Chavvy is, indeed, the superior and reasonably paid option for the Oakland Athletics.

In the end, I know Chavez can be maddeningly inconsistent offensively. But he's only 28 right now, and the guy still put up 22 bombs and a .786 OPS in a season where he had more injuries than World War II had casualties.

So, is there a solution? I think there is. I know Jay Payton had a nice little year with a .296 average and 32 doubles, coupled with above-average defense for a left fielder. But the guy is 33. And he's playing in a position that is ideally a power spot, and 10 homers just doesn't cut it. Not to mention he's getting paid a million more than Milton Bradley, and is likely to get a pay raise through free agency. What the A's need is power outfielder, which, ideally, would happen by moving Swish out there, and having Dan Johnson return to rookie form at 1st. I'd like to think Daric Barton is the great white hope, but his power hasn't developed like everyone thought it would--and like left field, 1st is a power position.

What does this have to do with Chavvy? The A's need another legitimate power bat in the lineup so Chavez doesn't feel like the A's will lose and 49 kittens will die if he actually sits out a game when he's dragged down with nagging injuries. The occasional sit-down, in my mind, will greatly improve Chavez' consistency and therefore numbers. Regardless, I hope this little endeavor, encompassing 2 diaries and necessitating that I skip both of my Tuesday classes, will convince a few out there that Chavez really is the amazing player that his boosters claim he is.

The Irrational Hatred of Eric Chavez; AL Edition

Joey C. — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 21:41:28 -0000

I make no bones about the fact that I'm an Eric Chavez booster. I think his defensive play is the most exciting part of baseball that you can watch on a daily basis. And offensively, he has ripped off 43 doubles, 100+ RBI, 34 homers, .395 OBP, and .540 slugging individually over various seasons. And he gives you the sense that he might be able to string some or all of those stats together over the course of a single healthy year. Simply put, he's one of the best all-round players in Major League Baseball.

But while this is agreed on by virtually all of the major analyst think tanks (Baseball Prospectus, the dreaded ESPN, etc.), he doesn't seem to get that kind of respect around here. So I thought I'd go through the entire and league and compare him to his counterparts, starting with the AL. I included the stats that I think are the best indicators of worth (homeruns, OPS, defense), as well as some of the stats that the more old-school baseball types look at (AVG, RBI) in an effort to get an idea of just where he ranks against everyone else at the hot corner. I also have included salaries according to ESPN.com, since this seems to be the greatest source of ire among ANers. I'm not trying to prove he is the best in the league--just that he is a top-flight player who is the best possible option for his team. I'll stop every now and then to discuss players that I think match up best against him, and discuss some pro's and con's. Let's go to the numbers.

*All offensive numbers are per-162-games, since I think that's the best overall representation of performance--it doesn't wholly eliminate outliers in terms of especially good seasons, nor especially bad ones, but it's the best method available to me with the resources I have. For similar reasons, I will use Baseball Prospectus' 2005 evaluation of defense, which is runs prevented against league average (-2 is 2 runs below league average, +2 is 2 runs above, etc. Every 10 runs denotes 1 win over the course of the season--so -10 will cost the team a win, +10 will earn a win, etc.).

American League

Chavez (Oak): .271 AVG; 29 HR's; 99 RBI; .839 OPS; +7 Defense; $9,500,000

Melvin Mora (Bal): .280 AVG; 19 HR's; 77 RBI; .800 OPS; -8 Defense; $4,333,333

Mike Lowell (Bos): .273 AVG; 23 HR's; 93 RBI; .802 OPS; +14 Defense; $9,000,000
*Lowell's numbers compare favorably with Chavvy's, but he's 32 years old, and seems that he's on the decline offensively. His bounce-back 2006 season seems largely due to the inviting Green Monster in Boston. Inasmuch as he's making only $500,000 less than Chavez, it's a tradeoff I'm willing to take.

Alex Rodriguez (NY... for now): .305 AVG; 43 HR's; 125 RBI; .959 OPS; -5 Defense; $25,680,727
*A-Rod is a future Hall of Famer, and gets paid like it. He makes a little under half of our entire payroll. Next.

Ty Wigginton (TB): .265 AVG; 20 HR's; 80 RBI; .771 OPS; -5 Defense; $675,000

Troy Glaus (Tor): .253 AVG; 37 HR's; 103 RBI; .860 OPS; -9 Defense; $10,000,000
*Glaus has some bigger numbers. Including strikeouts (153 vs. Chavvy's 110) on one end of the spectrum, and slugging (.503 vs. .489) on the other. However, the lumbering speed (Chavez has more doubles and more triples in the per-162 span) and poor defense coupled with a higher salary make Chavez the choice for the A's.

Joe Crede (Chi): .262 AVG; 26 HR's; 85 RBI; .763 OPS; +9 Defense; $2,675,000
*Crede perhaps is the best matchup against Chavez. They're both 28, and Crede's offensive numbers are only slightly below Chavez's, while his defense in 2005 was better (it was, however, an off-year for Chavvy in that respect). In addition, Crede makes significantly less. One look at his production over the years, however, shows spikes that infuse me with some suspicion--a jump from 12 HR's in 2002 to 21 in 2004, to 30 in 2006. If it's natural, more power to him (no pun intended). It's safe to say, however, that free agency would garner Crede some serious cash. Crede possibly gets the edge here, but I call it a push.

Aaron Boone (Cle): .264 AVG; 19 HR's; 83 RBI; .754 OPS; 0 Defense; $3,750,000
*I don't think Boone is in Chavvy's league right now, but I wanted to address listing him here over Andy Marte. Boone played in 104 games and is the known quantity; no one really knows what Marte will do, but it his future looks fairly bright. Time will tell. The bottom line is that I don't see the A's having any prospect or regular on the trading block that could pry Marte away from Cleveland, so it seems somewhat moot to compare the two anyway.

Brandon Inge (Det): .241 AVG; 19 HR's; 64 RBI; .700 OPS; +13 Defense; $3,000,000
*Inge had the better defense in 2005, but is a year older than Chavez, and his offense seems pretty moribund by comparison. The kid reminds me somewhat of Scott Brosius when he was with the A's. Chavvy's significantly higher pay is justified in my mind, especially considering the offensive role he plays for the A's.

Mark Teahen (KC): .267 AVG; 17 HR's; 84 RBI; .774 OPS; +2 Defense; $344,500
*Teahen is only 25, and had a great year for the Royals in 2006, even with his injury. However, the jury is still out on him. He was more or less given up for dead after his poor performances in the past, and his 18 homers were significantly better than his 7 in his rookie effort. He was not known as a power hitter in the minors, so history would suggest that his 2006 was an outlier. We will see over the next season or two if he really is the excellent 3rd Baseman he seems to be. For now, Chavez is far more reliable.

Nick Punto (Min): .261 AVG; 4 HR's; 39 RBI; .668 OPS; -1 Defense; $690,000

Angels' 3rd Basemen: With the disappointment of Dallas McPherson, the Angels have questions at 3rd. Which is why, I suppose, rumors persist that they will pursue A-Rod. Regardless, neither Chone Figgins nor Maicer Izturis provide a suitable regular at the hot corner. Next.

Adrian Beltre (Sea): .271 AVG; 24 HR's; 87 RBI; .785 OPS; +8 Defense; $12,900,000
*Wanna talk bust? Beltre gets paid more than Chavez and produces less over the average 162-game span. His 2006 barely compares with a Chavvy who played with one arm and half of a torso.

Hank Blalock (Tex): .272 AVG; 26 HR's; 97 RBI; .790 OPS; -5 Defense; $3,050,000
*This guy plays in Arlington, and he still can't produce like Chavez. That, along with the comparatively far worse D in 2005 means Chavez gets the decided edge.

Well, that's it for the American League. If anyone actually read even half of this, consider me impressed. I know that this analysis is by no means perfect; but given these parameters, our 3rd-Sacker in the green and gold seems to stack up extremely well. National League analysis coming soon.